I’d like to pass on a couple of issues. Information concerning the impact of Hurricane Harvey and the recent legislation signed by the President - the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, also referred to as the “Forever GI Bill”.

First and foremost, our thoughts are with those of you who are experiencing the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey (and perhaps Hurricane Irma). If you are attending school on the GI Bill and your school was or is temporarily closed due to Hurricane Harvey, the VA considers your attendance continuous and your payments will continue as normal.

Benefit-Specific Information

If you are usingChapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill) or Chapter 35 (Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance Program): As long as your enrollment was submitted by your school, no further action is necessary to receive continued payment.

If you are using Chapters 30 or 1606 (Montgomery GI Bill) or the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP): Continue to verify your attendance until further notice as if your school did not close. This ensures continuation of your payments. Students may verify attendance using the WAVE website or by calling 1-877-VACERT.

If your school is open but you are unable to attend due to this event (e.g., displaced from your home), please contact your School Certifying Official as soon as possible to prevent possible overpayments.

Please contact our Education Call Center at 1-888-442-4551 (Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. CST) for any questions about your GI Bill benefits. If you are unable to contact us by phone, you can send us a secure inquiry on our website using the “Submit a Question” button.

BREAK

As you know, a few weeks ago the President signed into law the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, also referred to as the “Forever GI Bill”. This new law will implement sweeping changes to the GI Bill benefit programs that will enhance education benefits for Servicemembers, Veterans and their families. This legislation contains several new provisions, the vast majority of which will enhance or expand education benefits for Veterans, Servicemembers, Families and Survivors. I briefly discussed some of these changes in an email that I sent to you on August 17th, and shared that we have more work to do to determine how these provisions impact our beneficiaries.

As we move forward with implementation, we anticipate there will inevitably be questions from Veterans, dependents and stakeholders. As such, we have created a way for you to contact us regarding this new law. If you have questions regarding the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Assistance Act of 2017, please send us an email at forevergibill.vbavaco@va.gov. Finally, please know and understand the size and scope of this bill (there are 34 distinct sections) will require significant resources and Information Technology (IT) changes/updates. We don’t have all the answers just yet but are working feverously to lay out a schedule and plan.

Again, please pass this information on to those who may be affected but unable to access email.

For many families in the Los Alamitos Unified School District, summer brings space for bucket lists and vacation. Yet, for 13% of our district families or roughly 1,300 children who regularly receive free or reduced lunches during the school year, summer becomes a stressful season. Only 1 out of 8 children that receive free or reduced lunch during the school year receive any government assisted lunch over the summer months when school is not in session. What most of us do not realize is that the percentage of free or reduced lunch families in our district is not actually high enough to meet the government’s criteria for a summer food service program. These families are caught in a gap, a gap which creates food insecurity.

To meet this need head-on, Summer Harvest was developed with a clear vision to eliminate food insecurity for school-aged children in affluent communities where children do not qualify for government or other help programs. As a 100% volunteer-based 501C3, our mission is to provide healthy meals to families with children on the free and reduced lunch program, during the breaks from school. This summer we will distribute groceries including staples for meal making ensuring a solid foundation of fresh fruits and vegetables. You can get involved in this program by becoming a sponsor of a grocery bag. A gift of $75 provides a bag of groceries to a family for each of our five distributions this summer. We also encourage you to come out and pack food or help with the distribution. Donate or volunteer at http://www.summerharvest.us. We are also doing a fundraiser on June 1st at Chipotle in Seal Beach from 5 to 9pm where 50% of the proceeds go to Summer Harvest (please find the flier here). Click here to read our newsletter with more information about Summer Harvest.

The incentive, which is being offered through SCE's Clean Fuel Rewards Program, applies to new, used and leased vehicles. Unlike most rebate programs, second and third owners of a vehicle are also eligible for the payment.

“We hope that making second and third car owners eligible for a rebate will help stimulate the market for used electric vehicles,” said Laura Renger, SCE principal manager for Air and Climate Policy.

To qualify for a payment, customers need an active SCE residential account and a scanned copy of the car's registration that reflects the SCE account address. They simply submit an application through the Clean Fuel Rewards website. Once approved, Clean Fuel Rewards checks are then mailed to the customer.

“We are honored to carry the name Tibor Rubin and carry on his lifelong commitment of service to our nation”- Walt C. Dannenberg, Medical Center Director.

Congressman Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach introduced legislation to rename the medical center and it was signed into law by President Barrack Obama 16 December, 2016.

Born to a Jewish family in Hungary, Rubin and his entire family were sent to a Nazi concentration camp in Austria during World War II. His parents and sisters died but Rubin survived 14 months until the U.S. Army liberated his camp, inspiring him to serve.

Immigrating to the United States, Rubin joined the U.S. Army and was attached to Company I, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division as a rifleman, deploying in support of the Korean War. He was designated a Medal of Honor recipient for his role in protecting his regiment while they retreated to the Pusan Perimeter. He stood alone and protected the Taegu-Pusan road inflicting casualties on attacking forces and held his position for 24 hours, slowing enemy advance, allowing for the regiments successful withdrawal. Later, when Rubin and fellow soldiers were taken prisoner he risked his life to sneak out of camp and gather food and medical supplies to bring back to the wounded and starving.

Rubin was a loved and cherished patient at the Long Beach VA Medical Center and received care there up until his death in December, 2015. The Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center is one of the most diversified health care systems in VA. Located along the Southern California coast, the facility provides comprehensive inpatient, outpatient, and extended care programs.

]]>Staff@losalchamber.org (Gwynne)Chamber NewsTue, 16 May 2017 18:26:10 -0700Griffins Annual Videohttp://losalchamber.org/news/blog/entry/griffins-annual-video
http://losalchamber.org/news/blog/entry/griffins-annual-videoThe Griffins from our beloved Los Alamitos High School have put together a video to share with all on YouTube please follow this link to enjoy:

]]>Staff@losalchamber.org (Gwynne)Chamber NewsTue, 16 May 2017 18:20:38 -0700Griffin's Show Choir Championshttp://losalchamber.org/news/blog/entry/griffin-s-show-choir-champions
http://losalchamber.org/news/blog/entry/griffin-s-show-choir-championsOn Saturday night, our show choirs, SoundTRAX and Sound FX, placed first in their respective divisions, earning them the title of National Grand Champions at the FAME Show Choir National Finals at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago for the fourth year in a row. The grand champion choirs each won awards for best show design, best choreography and best vocals with SoundTRAX also garnering the best costume award. Sophia Wackerman and Malia Rivers were named the best female soloists of the evening, and Justin Min captured the award for best male stage presence. ABC and CBS greeted them at the airport to help capture this special moment for our Griffins.

Director David Moellenkamp also received the Aspire Vocal Vanguard Award for excellence and innovation in directing. David's dedication to our students to provide once-in-a-lifetime opportunities inspires all of us to Ignite Unlimited Possibilities!

The students are already hard at work rehearsing for the upcoming, one night only performance of the musical, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" which features many of the students who performed in Chicago. Tickets are available now at www.seatyourself.biz/losalchoir for the May 12th performance at Cottonwood Auditorium.

LOS ANGELES, Apr. 24, 2017 – Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced that its power-to-gas project has been selected by the U.S Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to receive up to $175,000 in cost share support for a new technology research and demonstration project at NREL’s Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF). SoCalGas and NREL researchers will partner to conduct research to advance the development of power-to-gas technology, a cutting-edge method of storing excess renewable energy.

"Power-to-gas technology has the potential to bridge the renewable energy supply-demand gap that has become more and more challenging," said Jeff Reed, director of business strategy and advanced technology at SoCalGas. "This technology can significantly increase the amount of renewable energy integrated into the electrical supply and improve grid reliability. By using our existing gas pipeline infrastructure to store large amounts of carbon-free power, we could really make a difference in California’s clean-energy future."

"NREL and SoCal Gas will be leveraging the large-scale hydrogen system capabilities at the ESIF to accelerate the commercialization and deployment of a power-to-renewable-hydrogen-to- -natural-gas," said Kevin Harrison, Senior Engineer at NREL. "Once the renewable hydrogen and/or methane is produced, the gases can be stored indefinitely and utilized in a number of energy sectors including electricity generation, transportation, fertilizer (ammonia) production, and oil and gas. The system can also be operated in a highly dynamic mode to help stabilize the electrical grid to enable higher penetrations of renewable sources of electricity."

Power-to-gas technology takes excess renewable electricity that would otherwise go to waste and converts it to hydrogen. The hydrogen is then combined with carbon dioxide and fed to a bioreactor where organisms produce renewable natural gas, or RNG. RNG can be used in everything from home appliances to industrial processes, engines and power plants.

The conversion of renewable electricity to RNG enables long-term, monthly, or seasonal storage of large amounts of carbon-free power. Researchers note that this long-duration storage is difficult to achieve with traditional storage technology such as lithium ion batteries, which are typically designed store energy for shorter time periods SoCalGas Power-to-Gas Project Selected by U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory to Receive Funding

SoCalGas’ research with NREL, located in Golden, Colorado, will seek to answer questions like whether the bioreactor can be operated efficiently and economically to follow solar- and wind-generated electricity profiles. The team will also examine the potential of power-to-gas technology to store large quantities of renewable energy for an entire year, and how it compares in performance and cost to battery storage.

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About Southern California Gas Co. Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has been delivering clean, safe, and reliable natural gas to its customers for 150 years. It is the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, providing service to 21.6 million consumers connected through 5.9 million meters in more than 500 communities. The company's service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square miles throughout central and Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border. SoCalGas is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.

Neighborhood Open House on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

in the Los Alamitos Community Center, 10911 Oak Street, Los Alamitos.

We encourage everyone to come and learn about projects, events, and resources that the City has to offer. We will have department representatives available with material to explain and answer questions: Police Department, Area Command, City Projects, Events, Classes, and all City Services.

On behalf of the City of Los Alamitos, I am pleased to invite you and your family to participate in this community event. I hope to see you there!

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans Available to California Small Businesses

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Small nonfarm businesses in 32 California counties and neighboring Arizona and Nevada counties are now eligible to apply for low‑interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by the drought in the following primary counties beginning Jan. 1, 2017, announced Director Tanya N. Garfield of SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center - West.

“SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster,” Garfield said.

Small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred.

“Eligibility for these loans is based on the financial impact of the disaster only and not on any actual property damage. These loans have an interest rate of 3.125 percent for businesses and 2.5 percent for private nonprofit organizations, a maximum term of 30 years and are available to small businesses and most private nonprofits without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship,” Garfield said.

By law, SBA makes Economic Injury Disaster Loans available when the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture designates an agricultural disaster.

Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency about the U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration. However, nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance in drought disasters.

Disaster loan information and application forms are also available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955 or emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Individuals who are deaf or hard‑of‑hearing may call (800) 877-8339. For more disaster assistance information or to download applications, visit https://www.sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Golden State Water Company (Golden State Water) is partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to raise awareness and help customers improve their water-use efficiency during the ninth annual National Fix a Leak Week, March 20-26, 2017.

Fix a Leak Week, part of EPA's WaterSense program, provides customers with easy steps they can take to identify and fix hidden leaks at their homes. According to the EPA, water leaks account for more than 1 trillion gallons of water wasted each year in U.S. homes, and the average household loses approximately 10,000 gallons of water annually due to leaks.

Golden State Water's local offices are offering free leak-detecting dye tablets to customers during Fix a Leak Week, while supplies last. Additionally, a limited quantity of high-efficiency WaterSense labeled showerheads and aerators are also available for pickup, or they can be ordered online at gswatersavers.com [1] and delivered directly to homes.

"Golden State Water encourages customers to use water wisely. It's important we maximize our water-use efficiency, focusing on daily habits to make conservation a way of life, and not just a short-term fix," said Edwin DeLeon, Water-Use Efficiency Manager for Golden State Water.

Golden State Water offers online resources, including several tutorials to educate customers about fixing leaks and using water responsibly at their properties. To learn more about water-use efficiency resources, programs and rebates available in a specific service area, customers are encouraged to visit gswater.com/conservation [2] or call 1.800.999.4033.